Would You Consider an Internship—Or Even a Career—Outside California?

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

Andrea Loh (third from right) with other California attorneys

Late last month, LCD Counselor and Director of Employee Outreach Andrea Loh spent a week in New York attending meetings with attorneys from several legal offices. Prior to that, in mid-June, Andrea attended the American Bar Association (ABA) Small Firm Conference in Newport Beach, in southern California, and met with employers from throughout California. This is part of a larger effort for LCD to develop relationships with employers in the Bay Area, as well as both inside and outside of California. The goal is to give our students an edge when applying to internships and jobs throughout the United States. As Director of Employee Outreach, it is Andrea’s mission to cultivate and develop these relationships.

For example, in New York, Andrea met with the head of the Juvenile Rights Division of the New York Legal Aid Society. The Legal Aid Society is currently accepting students for fall 2017 in the Adult Criminal Defense Division, Civil Division, and Juvenile Rights Division. These offices include more than 1,000 attorneys fighting for public interest causes—and the Society stresses a focus on diversity. As such, the Society will be hiring 40 interns for the summer, so this may be a great opportunity for relevant candidates.

How to Take Control of Your Job Interview: Make Your Requirements Clear Ahead of Time to Command Respect During the Interview Phase

By Frank Zeccola
LCD Graduate Fellow

Do you ever feel like potential employers have all the power when you’re applying to jobs?

A recent article on the PBS Newshour career blog “Making Sense” posits that, all too often, employers abuse their power in the hiring process and “behave badly” toward job seekers. In turn, job seekers take the abuse because they feel they have no other choice: The employer has all the power, and if you want the job, you have to bend to their will. But the article cautions: “When job applicants behave like beggars, they’re treated with disrespect.”

You may relate to this, although the reality is probably not as cynical as this article, penned by top Silicon Valley headhunter Nick Corcodilos, paints it. But the truth remains that, as we search for jobs, it often does feel like the employer holds all the cards and we are forced to approach them as beggars.

 What’s worse, Corcodilos explains that if a company does treat you poorly during the interview phase, it’s almost certain to treat you poorly once you are hired.

Luckily, Corcodilos has a solution. He offers a four-point plan for earning respect during the interview phase so that the power is more balanced and you are approaching the employer as an equal, and not as a beggar.

Follow this plan to take control of your next interview:

Your Words are Your Craft and Your Reputation: Don’t Let Up on Proofreading—In Your Job Search or Your Career

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow

Every new lawyer knows the feeling: You just passed the Bar and got sworn in. Now you are applying for a job at a firm that sounds like an amazing opportunity. This will be your first real job as a lawyer. You type up an engaging cover letter outlining exactly why you are a great fit for the firm. You sell yourself like an ad man from the 60s writing about the new Rolls Royce for a billboard in Times Square. There’s no way they won’t hire you after reading this.

Then you read over your cover letter again. And spot a typo. And another typo. Frantically, you scrutinize your letter again and again searching for any little mistake you may have made. After all, one misplaced comma or misspelled word could kill your chances for scoring the job. Before long, your brain starts hurting. And your anxiety skyrockets.

If you fret about making typos in emails to hiring partners and other colleagues, there is good news. A line of research going back several decades shows that, as you advance in your career and earn a reputation in your profession, you can get away with being less formal in email contact with colleagues. Further, typos and proofreading mistakes matter less than when you are an entry-level job seeker.

How to Dress Professionally on a Budget

By Frank Zeccola

LCD Graduate Fellow

Interview season is upon us—and it should go without saying that we urge you to wear formal business attire to all interviews. Beyond a doubt, you want the person you are interviewing with to be confident in the impression you’ll create in their organization if they hire you. However, we understand that many of our students graduate in debt, and you might not be in a position to spend a lot of money on clothing. Further, many of you are applying for low-paying public interest jobs, or even unpaid positions, and we understand that money is always tight.

To that end, here are several great ways to dress professionally on a budget.  Whether you are a 1L interviewing for a summer position or a graduate trying to land that first associate job, you always want to look your best for interviews. Here’s how to do it for less: 

As GGU 1L Annie Banh Wins Prestigious ‘Morozumi’ Scholarship, LCD Encourages Other Students to Follow in Her Footsteps and Apply to These Upcoming Scholarships

By Frank Zeccola

LCD Graduate Fellow

Annie Banh

Law Career Development congratulates GGU 1L Annie Banh on winning the Joe Morozumi Scholarship. The $5,000 award was presented to Annie at the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area’s Annual Dinner on March 18. The scholarship honors

Morozumi’s spirit, passion for justice, and advocacy for the poor and underrepresented.

GGU students may not be aware of the many scholarships available to them. For example, right now, Bar stipends are available through the Women Lawyers of Alameda County. To wit, The Margaret A. Gannon Legal Education Stipend Fund provides assistance to deserving law students trying to survive the financial rigors of the bar exam. The Stipend Awards are funded through the proceeds received at the Annual Judges’ Dinner Silent Auction, and the raffle for the beautiful centerpieces. The Fund is named in honor of Ms. Margaret Gannon who served as WLAC President from 2007-2009, who is also the visionary behind the Fund. Ms. Gannon said she was inspired to initiate the Stipend Fund while attending a California Women Lawyers’ function. More information about the stipend is available for download here. Note that the application deadline is March 29.

You can also find a list of other scholarships offered to law students around the year on DiscoverLaw.org. In addition, the ABA lists upcoming scholarships here.

And, of course, scholarship opportunities are frequently posted in the “Job Postings” section on LCDonline, so check there for upcoming opportunities. Finally, to view additional scholarships granted throughout the year, you can view the Law School News archive and browse each issue to see what’s coming up.

Telling Yourself Better Stories About Networking

By Tammy Dawson 
Law Career Development Counselor 

I love networking but, believe me, that wasn’t always the case. I found the whole experience to be deeply uncomfortable. I was sure I was bothering people who didn’t really want to spend their limited time talking to me. I hated feeling like I was begging people for work. I didn’t know what to say. In other words, the stories I told myself about my ability to successfully network were neither motivating nor empowering. No wonder I avoided it!

Do you feel the same way? If so, you are not alone. Many people view networking as a distasteful chore or worse. So how did I go from hating networking to loving it? I started telling myself different stories.

People don’t want to spend their time talking to me; I’m just bothering them. 

If the tables were turned and a friend of a friend of a friend reached out to you to ask about your career, how would you respond? Would you feel annoyed or put out by the request? Chances are you wouldn’t. Most of us are happy to help someone starting out in their career. It is likely the person you have reached out to feels the same way.

Searching for Work in the Digital Age

By Alex Hoyt-Heydon
Graduate Fellow, Law Career Development

With the July Bar results being posted and holidays right around the corner, many recent law school graduates are feeling pressure to find a job and fast. Between rent, student loans, basic necessities, and yes, holiday shopping, the need to find a stable source of income, as well as move forward in your legal career, is a strong motivation to keep looking for work. However, you are not the only one looking for work. And trying to hone in on any one specific field can become a daunting task in a sea of legal specialties, firms, and potential employment opportunities.

Oddly enough, it seems that in this age of quickly advancing technology and internet dependence, most articles on looking for work still hold many in-person tactics for obtaining work. Things like leveraging networks, reaching out to personal contacts, and looking into opportunities where you have worked in the past are all great, tried and true methods for obtaining work, but may not necessarily help find the exact opening you are looking for. And for those law students who were not able to form a strong network during law school, finding that first legal job after graduation can be even more difficult. Enter the online search engine to help bridge the gap.

New Online Appointment Scheduling!

by Sandra Derian
Interim Law Career Development Coordinator

Law Career Development will begin accepting appointments online on August 24. Here are the instructions:

1. Log into LCDonline.
2. Hover your mouse over the "Calendar" tab, and select “Counseling Appointment” from the drop-down menu.
3. Click “Request New Appointment” to make a new appointment.
4. You may narrow down available appointments by date, time of day, day of the week, and counselor.
5. Click on the appointment time you desire.
6. Choose the appointment type – in person or on phone.
7. Feel free to add additional background notes to the appointment request, if applicable 
8. Choose “submit request”.
9. You will be notified by email when the counselor approves the appointment. 
10. If you wish to modify or cancel an appointment, you may do so in LCDonline in the main “Counseling Appointment” screen.
11. Bookmark this link to go straight to booking an appointment.

If you have any questions or if you need your login password reset, please phone (415) 442-6625 during business hours.